Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The One and Only Ivan

 The One and Only Ivan
type
TVTItem
 The One and Only Ivan
label
The One and Only Ivan
 The One and Only Ivan
page
TheOneAndOnlyIvan
 The One and Only Ivan
comment
The One and Only Ivan is a 2012 Children's Novel by K. A. Applegate.Ivan is a silverback gorilla who lives in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade with his friends Stella the Elephant, and Bob, a stray dog who sometimes enters his cage. For most of his life, Ivan has lived in a cage where people can see him, and buy his drawings for a small price.Of course, live animals can only keep people coming back for so long, and the mall employees know this. So, they bring in a new baby elephant named Ruby in the hopes of bringing in attendance. When Stella's old wound finally does her in, Stella asks Ivan to take care of Ruby and find her a better place. Ivan promises to do this... he just needs to find out how.The work was adapted as a film in 2020. A sequel, titled The One and Only Bob, was published the same year.
 The One and Only Ivan
fetched
2024-04-25T15:02:01Z
 The One and Only Ivan
parsed
2024-04-25T15:02:01Z
 The One and Only Ivan
processingComment
Dropped link to Animorphs: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The One and Only Ivan
processingComment
Dropped link to LoveInterest: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 The One and Only Ivan
processingUnknown
LoveInterest
 The One and Only Ivan
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The One and Only Ivan / int_16c4694c
type
Menagerie of Misery
 The One and Only Ivan / int_16c4694c
comment
Menagerie of Misery: Ivan tries not to think of the mall as this but it's increasingly evident.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_16c4694c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_16c4694c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_16c4694c
 The One and Only Ivan / int_23473ae7
type
Adaptation Expansion
 The One and Only Ivan / int_23473ae7
comment
Adaptation Expansion: Though the film's story is mostly faithful to that of the book, it also adds a few scenes and details. Mack has much more screentime than in the book and his relationship with Ivan is more fleshed out. Snickers also has more screentime, and has a new relationship with Bob with her acting as a sort of Love Interest. After making his promise to Stella, Ivan and Bob organise an escape attempt for Ruby and the other animals. Though they only get as far as the small forest area outside the mall before Mack catches up and brings them back.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_23473ae7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_23473ae7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_23473ae7
 The One and Only Ivan / int_28836bbd
type
Saving the World With Art
 The One and Only Ivan / int_28836bbd
comment
Saving the World With Art: Given his very limited life, Ivan's best idea for how to help Ruby is to paint a collage across many pieces of paper which shows her in the zoo he saw in a commercial, and to write HOME on it. It's difficult for humans to understand what he's portraying and it's unclear whether anyone but Julia understood what it means, but she and her father do put his work up on the sign and this gets plenty of attention, including from the zoo itself.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_28836bbd
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_28836bbd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_28836bbd
 The One and Only Ivan / int_2fd7200b
type
Dead Guy Junior
 The One and Only Ivan / int_2fd7200b
comment
Dead Guy Junior: Julia gave Ivan a big toy gorilla, which he names Not-Tag after his long dead twin sister. It might just be that Ivan doesn't have a lot of creativity when it comes to names.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_2fd7200b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_2fd7200b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_2fd7200b
 The One and Only Ivan / int_308a5ff0
type
Strange Minds Think Alike
 The One and Only Ivan / int_308a5ff0
comment
Strange Minds Think Alike: Ivan feels a bond with Julia, as a fellow artist. As a thoughtful and sensitive ten-year-old, she's more capable than most humans at understanding not just his art but his feelings. He still has to get angry to get her to pay enough attention to interpret his collage, and is frustrated by how long she takes to piece together the meaning of it.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_308a5ff0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_308a5ff0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_308a5ff0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_322f6b34
type
Angsty Surviving Twin
 The One and Only Ivan / int_322f6b34
comment
Angsty Surviving Twin: One of those things Ivan tries not to think about is the death of his twin, Tag, who wasn't as able to roll with the punches.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_322f6b34
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_322f6b34
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_322f6b34
 The One and Only Ivan / int_33d5b7f2
type
Adapted Out
 The One and Only Ivan / int_33d5b7f2
comment
Adapted Out: Bob's Dark and Troubled Past from the book, where his mother and littermates all died, is not mentioned in the film. Instead he implies that he lives on the streets simply due to being abandoned by a previous owner.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_33d5b7f2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_33d5b7f2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_33d5b7f2
 The One and Only Ivan / int_35051d93
type
Playing Pictionary
 The One and Only Ivan / int_35051d93
comment
Playing Pictionary: Ivan thinks his art is perfectly comprehensible as portraying items within his domain. Mac and the other adult humans see it as scribbled nonsense. As a fellow artist Julia can often figure it out, but she's mystified by his collage. Her own art is something Ivan understands quite well, but confuses the other animals.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_35051d93
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_35051d93
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_35051d93
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3c7f6abd
type
Raised in Captivity
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3c7f6abd
comment
Raised in Captivity: After being taken from his family, Ivan was bought by Mack, who dressed him in clothes and had him sleep in human beds and fed human foods until he got too large. This treatment has Ivan rather unsure about how to be a gorilla.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3c7f6abd
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3c7f6abd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3c7f6abd
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3d4d3dc9
type
Humans Are Bastards
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3d4d3dc9
comment
Humans Are Bastards: This is Bob's position. The other animals are certainly willing to allow that some are, but see them more as individuals. Ruby relates a time that she fell into a pit and numerous humans took the time and effort to help her out of it, which makes Bob, who'd interrupted her assuming she was telling the story of her capture for the circus, have to stop and think.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3d4d3dc9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3d4d3dc9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3d4d3dc9
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3e74b72e
type
The Pollyanna
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3e74b72e
comment
The Pollyanna: Downplayed, but early on Ivan describes a small child bursting into tears watching him, saying "He must be the loneliest gorilla in the world!", to which Ivan wishes he could communicate that it's not so bad, you can get used to anything given enough time. He focuses on Mundane Luxury and carefully doesn't think about his past and manages to feel relatively content in his domain. Until Ruby arrives, and the prospect of a child elephant having this kind of tiny, controlled life finally forces him to acknowledge his own anger and misery.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3e74b72e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3e74b72e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3e74b72e
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3ed23024
type
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3ed23024
comment
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: In a middle-grade book about talking animals stolen from the wild and put into a Menagerie of Misery you might expect it to end with returning to the wild and perhaps even to surviving family members, and for all the animal characters to live together happily. But Ivan and Ruby have been in among humans and in cages for too long, so they're taken to live in a zoo - and separately, because gorillas and elephants aren't housed together.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3ed23024
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3ed23024
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3ed23024
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f11ef74
type
Parental Substitute
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f11ef74
comment
Parental Substitute: Stella starts filling this role for Ruby once she's brought to the mall. She develops a very maternal relationship with her when they share a cage.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f11ef74
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f11ef74
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3f11ef74
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f45f1e6
type
Adaptational Heroism
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f45f1e6
comment
Adaptational Heroism: The film version gives Mack a closer and healthier relationship with all the animals. Though he's still frustrated when trying to train Ruby, he isn't directly abusive, and his harshness with her is treated as an unusual occurrence brought on by the circumstances. In particular, Mack serves as a genuine Parental Substitute to Ivan, and their farewell in the ending is a sincerely bittersweet moment for both of them.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f45f1e6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_3f45f1e6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_3f45f1e6
 The One and Only Ivan / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 The One and Only Ivan / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: In the end, Ruby and Ivan are taken away to a zoo and separated. Ivan has to slowly be introduced to new gorillas and learns, with difficulty how to interact with them. He gets to talk briefly with Bob on a clandestine visit and can see but not talk to Ruby, and knows that he and Ruby are still in cages, just larger and better ones. They'll never be free, but they can be happier here than in the mall. This ending was actually somewhat controversial and enough people protested it that Applegate wrote an open letter, just as she had with Animorphs, saying that the book ending with sadness was deliberate and a good thing - children know about sadness in the world and have to learn how to cope with it.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_40cc0c7e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_40cc0c7e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_40cc0c7e
 The One and Only Ivan / int_437511de
type
Crappy Carnival
 The One and Only Ivan / int_437511de
comment
Crappy Carnival: The Big Top Mall And Video Arcade's main defining feature is the tiny circus built in. Mack puts on clown makeup and many of the animals, Stella included, perform three times a day. Hearing from Stella about the larger traveling circus she was a part of, Ivan compares this one to a weary animal unable to move on.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_437511de
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_437511de
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_437511de
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4674f3b1
type
Mischief-Making Monkey
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4674f3b1
comment
Mischief-Making Monkey: Not a monkey, but young Ivan was seen as this. While living with Mack and his wife he broke a lot of things, less out of deliberate mischief and more often by accident, out of curiosity, or in a fit of longing for something familiar, as when he used chocolate frosting to 'paint' in the kitchen.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4674f3b1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4674f3b1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_4674f3b1
 The One and Only Ivan / int_46b3ec7c
type
Fun Personified
 The One and Only Ivan / int_46b3ec7c
comment
Fun Personified: Mack purchases Ruby with the idea that as a baby elephant she'll be exactly this, and since people love baby animals she'll win back the crowds. While she's not devoid of fun, she is also traumatized by her recent past and dissatisfied by her circumstances.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_46b3ec7c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_46b3ec7c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_46b3ec7c
 The One and Only Ivan / int_485d09ab
type
Creator In-Joke
 The One and Only Ivan / int_485d09ab
comment
Creator In-Joke: Anyone who's read Animorphs, the author's infamous Alien Invasion series, knows that the mouthless alien Andalites smile with their eyes. So, apparently, do elephants. When Julia and her father George are unhappy about Ruby's treatment and wish they could do something about it, George wonders aloud "Who would I call? The elephant cops?" In an early Animorphs book, Rachel transforms into an elephant to confront an abusive circus employee, claiming she's from the "elephant police", and flings him into a tent.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_485d09ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_485d09ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_485d09ab
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4b316d47
type
Break the Cutie
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4b316d47
comment
Break the Cutie: Ruby's a good ways into this by the time she shows up. Stella's death and subsequently being coerced to perform take her further down that path, which upsets Ivan even if he was able to shrug off his own situation.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4b316d47
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4b316d47
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_4b316d47
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4f4bbeff
type
Interspecies Friendship
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4f4bbeff
comment
Interspecies Friendship: Ivan, a gorilla, is friends with Bob, a dog, and Stella and Ruby, who are elephants. He also feels a kinship with human Julia.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4f4bbeff
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_4f4bbeff
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_4f4bbeff
 The One and Only Ivan / int_57b80b45
type
Fantastic Racism
 The One and Only Ivan / int_57b80b45
comment
Fantastic Racism: Ivan dislikes chimps, seeing them as noisy, erratic, and far too silly. Early in the book he refers to some Bratty Half Pints as "slimy chimps", referring to human sweat on bare skin, and then feels bad, saying his mother wouldn't like to hear him use such language.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_57b80b45
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_57b80b45
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_57b80b45
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6acb89db
type
Evil Poacher
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6acb89db
comment
Evil Poacher: Ruby says she used to live with her mother and aunts before humans killed them and took her away. Ivan doesn't like this topic because it threatens to unearth memories he tries to avoid, and when he tells her his story he elides how he got from a "perfect life" to being put in a crate with his sister. Later he does think about it and how his mother and father were killed and their hands, feet, and heads severed - and that he's aware there is an ashtray in a shop in the mall made from a gorilla's foot.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6acb89db
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6acb89db
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_6acb89db
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6cd0cdcc
type
Endangered Species
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6cd0cdcc
comment
Endangered Species: Gorillas and elephants count as this in real life. After the adults of his family were killed, he and his sister were put in a shipping crate, and his sister died, Ivan thought he might be The Last of His Kind until catching a glimpse of another gorilla on TV.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6cd0cdcc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_6cd0cdcc
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_6cd0cdcc
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7056801c
type
Elephants Never Forget
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7056801c
comment
Elephants Never Forget: Ivan states that, unlike himself, Stella recalls every detail about her past.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7056801c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7056801c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_7056801c
 The One and Only Ivan / int_72ce3f54
type
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul
 The One and Only Ivan / int_72ce3f54
comment
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the book, Bob doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of Snickers, making his hatred for her (and Poodles in general) clear early on. In the film, Snickers acts as Bob’s Love Interest.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_72ce3f54
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_72ce3f54
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_72ce3f54
 The One and Only Ivan / int_74463f7f
type
"Anger Is Healthy" Aesop
 The One and Only Ivan / int_74463f7f
comment
"Anger Is Healthy" Aesop: Ivan letting himself express his anger is what wins the day for him in the end. He chest-beats out of frustration and races around his cage pitching a fit, and Julia stops and reevaluates the paintings he's been trying to show her.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_74463f7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_74463f7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_74463f7f
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7453bc5b
type
Spared by the Adaptation
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7453bc5b
comment
Spared by the Adaptation: In the book, Ivan mentions that the mall used to have a sea lion who was kept in a pool enclosure, which also doubled as a wishing well for children. The sea lion one day got bored or hungry and ate a large amount of the coins in the pool. She got sick and died. In the film, the sea lion is alive, as well as male where the book's sea lion was female.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7453bc5b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7453bc5b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_7453bc5b
 The One and Only Ivan / int_76dc3807
type
Alone in a Crowd
 The One and Only Ivan / int_76dc3807
comment
Alone in a Crowd: The only gorilla in a teeming mall of humans who come and go, Ivan is literally on display and out of any of them only connects to Julia.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_76dc3807
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_76dc3807
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_76dc3807
 The One and Only Ivan / int_79c34029
type
The Nose Knows
 The One and Only Ivan / int_79c34029
comment
The Nose Knows: All three species with speaking roles pay more attention to scent than humans do. Ivan's nose would necessarily be weaker than a dog's or elephant's, but he still associates humans doing new things with a scent like rotting meat with hints of papaya.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_79c34029
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_79c34029
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_79c34029
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7ec8506d
type
Animal Talk
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7ec8506d
comment
Animal Talk: There seems to be an animal language, for one, that lets elephants, dogs, and gorillas speak to each other, though Ivan says beetles never seem to talk. Bob also exchanges gossip with a rat at one point offscreen.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7ec8506d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_7ec8506d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_7ec8506d
 The One and Only Ivan / int_82ff8b68
type
Artistic License – Animal Care
 The One and Only Ivan / int_82ff8b68
comment
Artistic License – Animal Care: Largely averted. The true story this is a take on, the life of the real gorilla Ivan, reflects a period of time in which captive animals underwent a shift in public understanding. People began to see, for example, keeping a lone gorilla in a tiny glass-walled enclosure for twenty-seven years as unacceptable, as well as the treatment of circus animals in general. Ivan's early life with humans, his family killed so he could be shipped overseas and treated as a combination of pet and child, is also more commonly understood to be a terrible thing to do to a young ape. Where this trope does come into play some is that the health effects of being confined to small spaces and fed quite a bit of junk food with very rare vet visits aren't really shown. Stella's infected foot and Mack's neglect of her kills her, but Ivan seems to be fine. He does take quite a long time after being moved to the zoo before he can get along with the other gorillas, and neither he nor Ruby are actually released to the wild as they don't have the skills to survive.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_82ff8b68
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_82ff8b68
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_82ff8b68
 The One and Only Ivan / int_8984e5d1
type
Commonality Connection
 The One and Only Ivan / int_8984e5d1
comment
Commonality Connection: Julia, the daughter of the mall's night janitor, is an artist, and she and Ivan share a bit of understanding over this. Ivan also feels a similar connection with Stella, as a fellow resigned captive with a long memory and a calm, resigned disposition.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_8984e5d1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_8984e5d1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_8984e5d1
 The One and Only Ivan / int_90e31482
type
Laser-Guided Karma
 The One and Only Ivan / int_90e31482
comment
Laser-Guided Karma: At one point, Mack tries to force Ruby to move using a claw stick, only for her to hit him in the balls with her trunk afterwards.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_90e31482
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_90e31482
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_90e31482
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a65288e2
type
Ascended Extra
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a65288e2
comment
Mack has much more screentime than in the book and his relationship with Ivan is more fleshed out.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a65288e2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a65288e2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_a65288e2
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a964d140
type
Gentle Gorilla
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a964d140
comment
Gentle Gorilla: Ivan is a very friendly and docile gorilla who develops a strong friendship with a dog and two elephants. He does have a much angrier side, but far from being a Killer Gorilla, his deeply-buried impulses are more about expressing his unhappiness and frustration, and a desire to be taken seriously and respected, than any will to do violence. As he says, anger for a silverback is an important thing reserved for protecting someone, as his father tried to protect his troop. Until Ivan starts to feel kinship and responsibility for Ruby, he has no one to protect.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a964d140
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_a964d140
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_a964d140
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b49e24b0
type
Honorable Elephant
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b49e24b0
comment
Honorable Elephant: While dying, Stella starts to ask Ivan to promise to help Ruby to have a better life somehow, but stops herself as a promise is forever and she understands that his power is very limited, so it would be unfair to ask this of him. He makes the promise anyway.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b49e24b0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b49e24b0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_b49e24b0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b66699a2
type
Mundane Luxury
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b66699a2
comment
Mundane Luxury: The early chapters seem fairly happy if you ignore the subtext, as Ivan talks about his friends, all the kinds of food he likes, drawing, and television.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b66699a2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_b66699a2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_b66699a2
 The One and Only Ivan / int_baa2bf80
type
Amplified Animal Aptitude
 The One and Only Ivan / int_baa2bf80
comment
Amplified Animal Aptitude: Ivan and Stella have a partial understanding of their situation and of English that might be explained by them being long-lived and very intelligent animals, but Bob the dog seems to understand at least as much. Ruby, a much younger elephant, understands her name but not much else human language.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_baa2bf80
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_baa2bf80
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_baa2bf80
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bcbf7aef
type
Plucky Comic Relief
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bcbf7aef
comment
Plucky Comic Relief: Bob is a cynical, tiny young dog who has snark for nearly every occasion, but does still genuinely care. His presence lightens the book somewhat.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bcbf7aef
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bcbf7aef
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_bcbf7aef
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bfdbf829
type
Significant Name Shift
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bfdbf829
comment
Significant Name Shift: As a young gorilla living in a troop of ten, Ivan was named "Mud" thanks to his interest in painting with mud over any available surface, including his mother's back. Of course he had no way of conveying his name to humans, and as part of his determined effort to not think about the past and be content in his situation he fully adopted "Ivan", the name they gave him.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bfdbf829
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_bfdbf829
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_bfdbf829
 The One and Only Ivan / int_cb73b96
type
Cope by Creating
 The One and Only Ivan / int_cb73b96
comment
Cope by Creating: When Ivan's making art then everything else he might be feeling goes away.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_cb73b96
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_cb73b96
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_cb73b96
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ce6555f0
type
Lighter and Softer
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ce6555f0
comment
Lighter and Softer: The film tones down and removes most of the characters more miserable backstories to mere mentions, and is much less cynical about the cruelty of humans. The film also has a greater emphasis on humour than the book did.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ce6555f0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ce6555f0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_ce6555f0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2102da0
type
Bad People Abuse Animals
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2102da0
comment
Bad People Abuse Animals: Mack is not entirely devoid of sympathetic moments but he is the owner of the mall and chooses to buy a new baby elephant rather than treat his old one's lingering injury. After Stella dies he starts training Ruby to perform in her place, including using what Ivan refers to as a "claw-stick" to try to intimidate her into compliance.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2102da0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2102da0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d2102da0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2b59903
type
Cool Old Lady
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2b59903
comment
Cool Old Lady: Stella, as elephants go. Most of her life has been rather small and terrible, living in a circus before taking an injury to her foot that never healed, then being sold to the mall. However, Ivan considers her his dearest friend and loves to hear her stories, which she has many of.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2b59903
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d2b59903
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d2b59903
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d4efe0d
type
Character Narrator
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d4efe0d
comment
Character Narrator: The story is told by Ivan.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d4efe0d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d4efe0d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d4efe0d
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d6618014
type
Last Request
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d6618014
comment
Last Request: Stella's last request to Ivan is for him to get Ruby out of the mall.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d6618014
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d6618014
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d6618014
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d7117f01
type
Angst? What Angst?
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d7117f01
comment
Angst? What Angst?: Ivan's insistence on focusing on the positives and not thinking at all about his old life means a cursory reading of the early chapters makes it easy to assume he really is fine with his situation. While being taken away in a crate, Ivan sensed he could only survive by letting go of his old life and taking things as they came.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d7117f01
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d7117f01
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d7117f01
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d802005b
type
DeathByNewberryMedal
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d802005b
comment
Death By Newberry Medal: Stella's end is foreshadowed early on by descriptions of her infected foot and Mack's unwillingness to call for a vet. There's also a mention of a previous animal, a seal, who swallowed the pennies kids threw into her pool and then died after Mack said she'd be fine. Her Last Request, death, and Ruby losing her supportive presence has Ivan shaken out of complacency and attempting to figure out a way to change their situation.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d802005b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_d802005b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_d802005b
 The One and Only Ivan / int_dd8deee1
type
Xenofiction
 The One and Only Ivan / int_dd8deee1
comment
Xenofiction: Ivan is a gorilla and has some understanding of humans, as fellow great apes. He has one leg up in that he has no trouble interpreting human facial expressions. Through long and patient effort and observation he's learned to understand English, but he still finds much of what they do to be mystifying and is Entertainingly Wrong about some of it. For example, he's aware at the start of the book that the mall has been getting less popular and that attracting crowds is important, so they can then forage in the shops and exchange money with Mac. He also understands that people like to watch him eat, and as an adult gorilla he eats a lot, so he resolves to try to eat even more.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_dd8deee1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_dd8deee1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_dd8deee1
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e0052aa4
type
Mysterious Animal Senses
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e0052aa4
comment
Mysterious Animal Senses: Stella knows long before Ruby arrives that a baby elephant is being brought to the mall. She can hear her, crying for her mother. Ivan and Bob can't hear her and wonder if Stella's making it up. It may be that the elephants are communicating with "infrasound", a frequency far lower than any humans can hear and which elephants can produce and hear over many miles.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e0052aa4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e0052aa4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e0052aa4
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e21faf11
type
Friend to All Living Things
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e21faf11
comment
Friend to All Living Things: Julia is close to Ivan and Ruby, and is the only human who Bob excludes from his general cynical dismissal of the species. Her janitor father is closer to Stella and is the only human really shown to have particular affection for her.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e21faf11
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e21faf11
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e21faf11
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e4b69188
type
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e4b69188
comment
Very Loosely Based on a True Story: There was a real gorilla named Ivan living in a mall, whose life paralleled the book's story in many ways, but the specific events described in the book are all fictional, to make the story from the gorilla's point of view less lonely and to give him more agency.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e4b69188
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e4b69188
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e4b69188
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e55c5f35
type
Happily Ever Before
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e55c5f35
comment
Happily Ever Before: Ivan tries not to think about his life in the wild, preferring to all but forget it all so he can be relatively okay with his current situation.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e55c5f35
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e55c5f35
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e55c5f35
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e563bf09
type
Insistent Terminology
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e563bf09
comment
Insistent Terminology: For most of the book Ivan insists that the small glass-windowed space he is confined to isn't a "cage", it's a "domain", the same word he uses for the territories of wild gorillas. Ruby's arrival shakes his complacency and he ends up reconsidering.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e563bf09
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e563bf09
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e563bf09
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e6cca0
type
The Mall
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e6cca0
comment
The Mall: The main setting of the book is the Exit 8 Big Top Mall And Video Arcade.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e6cca0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e6cca0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e6cca0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e88d37c3
type
Too Unhappy to Be Hungry
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e88d37c3
comment
Too Unhappy to Be Hungry: In his grief over Stella, Ivan is a Big Eater and doesn't totally neglect to eat, but he does lose a lot of his appetite.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e88d37c3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e88d37c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e88d37c3
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e9a3a1ed
type
Never Learned to Read
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e9a3a1ed
comment
Never Learned to Read: Unsurprisingly, none of the animals can read. However, Ivan knows about the practice and can see the mall's billboard, and knows that what's written on it is the same verbal spiel he's heard countless times - Welcome To The Exit 8 Big Top Mall And Video Arcade, Home To The One And Only Ivan. After great effort, he manages to deduce which set of letters corresponds to "home" and laboriously copies them in a painted collage depicting the zoo he saw in a commercial.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e9a3a1ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_e9a3a1ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_e9a3a1ed
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ecf4f7ce
type
Constantly Curious
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ecf4f7ce
comment
Constantly Curious: Ruby, as a baby elephant, asks incessant questions when not miserable, and longs to be told stories. Ivan, annoyed by this at first, finds himself remembering that he and his sister had been similar.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ecf4f7ce
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_ecf4f7ce
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_ecf4f7ce
 The One and Only Ivan / int_f7512035
type
Cope by Pretending
 The One and Only Ivan / int_f7512035
comment
Cope by Pretending: How he gets by the rest of the time, resignedly focusing on tiny positives and claiming otherwise things are fine.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_f7512035
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_f7512035
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_f7512035
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fa75f33e
type
Road Apples
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fa75f33e
comment
Road Apples: "Me-balls" are dried excrement packed into tight, throwable balls. Ivan wonders why humans never seem to carry them.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fa75f33e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fa75f33e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_fa75f33e
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fed93e1b
type
Dark and Troubled Past
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fed93e1b
comment
Dark and Troubled Past: All the animals have this - Ivan's parents were killed by humans, who kidnapped him and his sister who then died. Subsequently he was purchased by Mack and treated as something between a pet and a child, then shut into a small room in the mall for decades. Stella and Ruby similarly were wild once and captured in bloody ways, then abused by humans. Ruby was chained to the floor by all four feet for twenty-three hours each day to break her spirit so she would submit to learning tricks, and when Ivan hears that he realizes that Stella must have suffered something similar. Bob was taken from his mother and flung into the road along with his littermates, who didn't roll out of the way of cars in time.
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fed93e1b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_fed93e1b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_fed93e1b
 The One and Only Ivan / int_name
type
ItemName
 The One and Only Ivan / int_name
comment
 The One and Only Ivan / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The One and Only Ivan / int_name
 The One and Only Ivan / int_name
itemName
The One and Only Ivan

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Adoring the Pests / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Amplified Animal Aptitude / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
"Anger Is Healthy" Aesop / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Artistic License – Animal Care / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
"Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Character Narrator / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Children's Literature / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Cope by Creating / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Cope by Pretending / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Crappy Carnival / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Death by Newbery Medal / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Elephantine Fiction / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Elephants Never Forget / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Endangered Species / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Films of the 2020s / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Fun Personified / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Gentle Gorilla / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Honorable Elephant / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Interspecies Friendship / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Last Request / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Menagerie of Misery / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Mischief-Making Monkey / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Mysterious Animal Senses / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Never Learned to Read / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Pet Baby Wild Animal / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Playing Pictionary / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Raised in Captivity / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Road Apples / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Saving the World With Art / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The Freakshow / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
The Mall / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Too Unhappy to Be Hungry / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Tummy Cushion / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Very Loosely Based on a True Story / int_27f86cfb
 The One and Only Ivan
hasFeature
Xenofiction / int_27f86cfb